Waste Materials and Disposal

News about Waste Materials and Disposal, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Feb. 27, 2015

Editorial cautions that amount of food wasted worldwide is growing, with approximately one-third of world's food left unconsumed at cost of up to $400 billion; says growing problem, as confirmed by British organization Waste and Resources Action Program, is due to expansion of middle class; urges cooperation between antiwaste programs, governments and consumers to stem environmental impact of food waste and divert it to hungry populations. MORE

Feb. 26, 2015

British report finds that about 60 million metric tons of food is wasted annually in United States, worth $162 billion, and that says 32 million metric tons ends up in municipal landfills with annual cleanup cost of $1.5 billion; finds one-third of all food produced in world is not eaten, and that cutting food waste from 20 to 50 percent globally could save $120 billion to $300 billion a year by 2030. MORE

Feb. 13, 2015

Study published in journal Science finds amount of plastics in oceans is rising at alarming rate; urges nations start disposing trash responsibly. MORE

Feb. 1, 2015

Jiayang Fan Lives essay describes how her parents, newly immigrated to Connecticut from China, would often retrieve cast-off furniture and accessories from a Dumpster outside their apartment building; relates how she came to realize that while the items were free, her parents seemed to pay more than what they were worth in form of shame and humiliation. MORE

Jan. 30, 2015

Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, is first municipality in New York region to ban both single-use plastic bags and foam food containers, joining coalition of about a dozen municipalities across the country; not all residents support ban. MORE

Jan. 26, 2015

Editorial supports engineer Samuel Schwartz's workaround plan that would shift planned garbage truck route to new marine transfer station on East 91st Street, avoiding athletic center that is used by schoolchildren; holds plan addresses many complaints from local residents who are opposed to station, which is a key aspect of city's long-term waste management plan. MORE

Jan. 20, 2015

Alfred G Evans has created his own miniature golf course, mostly from recycled trash, in Brooklyn; ever-changing effort is creative outlet that he says kept him from falling into depression after his marriage ended. MORE

Jan. 9, 2015

Editorial applauds New York City's plan to ban expanded polystyrene used in drink cups, food trays and packing peanuts; notes that there is no recycling market for the cheap and ubiquitous foam that clogs landfills, pollutes waterways and does not decompose; lauds New York for following footsteps of other progressive cities. MORE

Jan. 4, 2015

Chuck Klosterman The Ethicist column answers questions about impersonating a celebrity by signing autograph for fan, Dumpster-diving in private Dumpster and using fines to punish minor crimes like speeding. MORE

Jan. 1, 2015

Molly Wood Machine Learning column observes that electronics have become the fastest growing source of waste in the world, with some two to three million tons of electronics ending up in trash yearly; welcomes fact that is becoming easier for consumers to properly dispose of their electronics, with more retailers offering drop-off bins and regulators holding recyclers to higher standards. MORE

Dec. 11, 2014

Study published in PLoS One estimates that 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic, weighing 269,000 tons, are dispersed throughout world's oceans, even in most remote reaches; researchers cited in study call current methods for managing plastic waste unsustainable from both economic and environmental perspectives. MORE

Dec. 2, 2014

Study published in journal Global Change Biology finds that millions of tiny insects play role in cleaning up garbage left by humans, potentially removing nine to 14 pounds of garbage from area equivalent to city block in course of five to eight months; research shows that insects work in tandem with larger scavengers such as rats and pigeons to pick up waste. MORE

Nov. 26, 2014

Neighborhood activist groups Asphalt Green and Pledge 2 Protect take issue with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to reopen Upper East Side garbage transfer station just north of Gracie Mansion; have raised money and bought television time for ad campaign against de Blasio, saying sanitation trucks using access ramp that bisects adjacent park will endanger pedestrians. MORE

Nov. 20, 2014

New York City Council debates proposal to charge 10 cents for single-use plastic checkout bags; discussion centers on whether such bags present a true environmental problem or whether they are a harmless part of city life. MORE

Nov. 17, 2014

Op-Ed article by author Jerry Pinto observes that India's long-established problems with garbage, water contamination, sewage and air pollution are growing far worse as country becomes richer; notes many Indians consider sanitation to be somebody else's problem, conception that is rooted in the caste system. MORE

Nov. 16, 2014

FYI column addresses whether foghorns exist in waters near New York City and length of time garbage is allowed to remain on city sidewalks. MORE

Nov. 14, 2014

Lyon Journal; as part of a wider drive to cut down on food waste, French authorities in the south-central region that includes Lyon have started a campaign to promote the use of doggie bags in local restaurants; effort is coming from rising consciousness of an environmentally minded younger generation that is more familiar with takeout culture, but resistance of French to concept of taking home leftovers is strong. MORE

Oct. 26, 2014

Rubicon Global is among a new breed of waste consultant companies that have found a profitable niche helping companies reduce costs related to garbage; Rubicon provides a double service, holding an online bidding process for client waste contracts and then working with them to reduce waste and find novel ways to repurpose and recycle it. MORE

Oct. 18, 2014

Only a handful of medical centers nationwide are specially equipped and their staff members trained to handle tide of infectious waste generated by Ebola virus; patients suffer from diarrhea, vomiting and hemorrhaging, making cleaning process itself so hazardous that it requires special training. MORE

Sep. 26, 2014

City Room blog; New York City's health code forbids pet owners to allow their animals to urinate on a public sidewalk, but law is enforced only in cases that pose a serious public health risk; sanitation workers say they are tired of picking up wet trash bags that splash dog urine all over their clothes and those of their partners. MORE

Sep. 15, 2014

Residents in China's Guangdong Province take to streets to protest proposed garbage incineration plant, defying government warnings and police detentions; protest is latest in succession of demonstrations against waste-disposal projects by pollution-weary Chinese citizens. MORE

Aug. 26, 2014

Op-Ed article by Merchant Marine Capt Charles J Moore describes visiting Great Pacific Garbage Patch, one of five major garbage patches drifting in oceans; notes shock at seeing enormous increase in plastic waste since last visiting patch in 2009; contends real challenge is to combat economic model that thrives on wasteful products and packaging. MORE

Jul. 23, 2014

United States military is coming under fire for several reports showing that it wasted millions of dollars on garbage incinerators at Afghanistan military bases that went largely unused while trash was burned in open piles; reports also conclude that military violated regulations put in place to end large-scale open-pit burns after health risks of practice gained national attention during Iraq war. MORE

Jul. 20, 2014

New York City Sanitation Department employees Haley Rogers and Lisa Brunie-McDermott are on mission to convince New Yorkers to deal with food waste differently; two are key players in two-year, $10 million pilot program of department's recycling unit to make home composting a reality for the city. MORE

Jul. 11, 2014

New York City Parks Department announces plan to deal with piles of trash left in northern Riverside Park by weekend crowds by stepping up enforcement and adding cleanup crews; residents have complained about trash and raucous behavior. MORE

Jul. 8, 2014

United Nations reports it has found that nearly one billion people worldwide defecate in the open, and that such bad sanitation practices can endanger health of children who live and play nearby; calls for more funding to redress inadequate sanitation. MORE

Jun. 23, 2014

New York City's school composting program has expanded to include some 230 schools in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island, and is expected to double in size by the fall; program, addressing longstanding problem of food waste at schools, is aimed at helping the environment and instilling sense of conservation in school children; program also saves critical funds by sparing the expense of dumping fees at landfills. MORE

Jun. 22, 2014

Barry Rosenthal, former commercial photographer, has collected, artfully arranged and photographed trash for his Found in Nature series. MORE

Jun. 15, 2014

Editorial warns of large, growing patches of plastic waste in world's oceans, noting that they present serious threat to wildlife; praises Hawaii Wildlife Fund for organizing cleanups of beaches where trash washes up in vast patches; notes that world leaders have been far less effective in their efforts to curb long-term proliferation of waste. MORE

Jun. 10, 2014

Researchers report that plastic trash in environment is melting and binding with sand, shells, pebbles, wood and existing rock to form rock-plastic hybrid called plastiglomerate; resulting compound will likely be long-lived and may become permanent marker in planet's geologic record. MORE

Jun. 8, 2014

Chuck Klosterman The Ethicist column answers questions about offering medical assistance to a person who wants to be left alone and a passerby's responsibility toward litter. MORE

Jun. 5, 2014

Delaware transportation officials say they believe contractor Jim Thomas dumped a massive mound of dirt, over several years, that may have shifted the ground beneath an Interstate 495 bridge in Wilmington, causing it to tilt and forcing its closing. MORE

May. 31, 2014

New York City expands voluntary pilot composting program to several parts of Brooklyn and Queens; idea is to divert roughly 3.2 million tons of food waste that New Yorkers send to landfills every year, at a cost of $300 million, to compost; new National Grid facility at Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, scheduled to break ground this summer, will eventually turn methane derived from residential compost into enough natural gas to heat as many as 5,200 homes in Brooklyn. MORE

May. 17, 2014

Food waste is an increasingly hot-button issue, with cities, restaurants and companies adopting strategies for reducing problem; Environmental Protection Agency says Americans threw away more than 36 tons of food in 2012, about $165 billion worth of food annually; city of Austin, Tex, is building food collection program that will turn food scraps into compost as part of goal to eliminate 90 percent of waste it sends to landfills by 2040. MORE

May. 12, 2014

Huge demonstration against planned waste incinerator in eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou turns violent as protesters overturn and set fire to police cars, leaving at least 10 demonstrators and 29 police officers injured. MORE

Apr. 26, 2014

Op-Ed article by science journalism Prof Dan Fagin describes tracing route of old canal in Basel, Switzerland, which was used by dye manufacturers to dump chemical waste in Rhine River; notes similar practice was used by companies at Toms River in New Jersey and inland China; observes that prosperity in Basel is built on products now manufactured in much poorer countries, using similar method for disposal of industrial waste. MORE

Apr. 14, 2014

Letter from New York City Council Member James Vacca comments on April 8 editorial about bill before council that will limit the use of plastic bags at retail and grocery stores. MORE

Apr. 8, 2014

Editorial supports bill introduced by the New York City Council to limit the use of plastic grocery bags, which spend an eternity as all-but-indestructible trash; holds ten cent charge is a good start, but that city must ultimately find a way to rid itself of a bad habit that prizes convenience over litter and environmental damage. MORE

Mar. 21, 2014

North Carolina regulators charge that Duke Energy, electric utility whose massive spill of toxic coal ash into the Dan River is part of a federal investigation, illegally pumped as much as 61 million gallons of coal-ash wastewater into a second river near Raleigh from September 2013 to mid-March. MORE

Mar. 16, 2014

State regulators in North Carolina say Duke Energy, utility already under federal investigation for water pollution, may have illegally released wastewater from second site near of Raleigh. MORE

Mar. 16, 2014

Heather O'Neill Lives essay describes becoming overly sentimental when she had to get rid of a garbage can she had had for 15 years. MORE

Mar. 4, 2014

Nepal's tourism authority declares that those climbing Mount Everest must return from trip with an extra 18 pounds of garbage; rule is government's first concerted effort to eliminate estimated 50 tons of trash that have been left on Mount Everest over the past six decades. MORE

Feb. 19, 2014

North Carolina State Department of Environment and Natural Resources says wastewater containing unsafe levels of arsenic from Duke Energy coal ash dump is flowing into Dan River, already contaminated from earlier spill. MORE

Feb. 15, 2014

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons selects two hazardous-waste disposal companies to help incinerate chemicals in Syria's weapons arsenal as worries emerge that country is procrastinating on compliance; companies are Veolia Environmental Services Technical Solutions of America and Ekokem OY AB of Finland. MORE

Feb. 15, 2014

Buildup of improperly disposed of fat, grease and cooking oil in New York City's sewage system accounts for 62 percent of 15,000 sewer backup complaints logged in 2013; city is embarking on multi-pronged campaign aimed at making businesses and residents aware of the problem, with the goal of keeping such substances from ever reaching city's vast underground sewer network. MORE

Feb. 9, 2014

Thomas L Friedman Op-Ed column contends Israeli and Palestinian negotiators should consider taking a local eco-tour to understand how necessary it is for them to work together to address shared problems like waste management; contends it may offer a way for them to see that they share the same water, soil and air and that these things can only be preserved by acting in common. MORE

Feb. 7, 2014

Italian Pres Giorgio Napolitano signs emergency law to tackle environmental crimes and damage produced by illegal dumping or burning of waste in southern region of Campania. MORE

Feb. 5, 2014

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio faces issue of revitalizing an unused garbage transfer station at East 91st Street, just three blocks north of Gracie Mansion; reopening of former waste station has become protracted issue involving race, class and geographic equity; supporters and opponents each point to de Blasio’s campaign message of bridging the gap in the 'tale of two cities.' MORE

Jan. 30, 2014

Camorra, one of Italy’s three main mafia organizations, is believed to have buried millions of tons of toxic garbage in a region near Naples, known as the Triangle of Death because of an alarming rise in cancer cases; one environmental group estimates that 10 million tons of toxic garbage has been illegally buried in Casal Di Principe since the early 1990s, earning billions of dollars for the mafia. MORE

A report released Wednesday shows that about 60 million metric tons of food is wasted a year in the United States, a problem that contributes to climate change and to the loss of natural resources like water and land.